pub Archives - Curiously Carmen

Ebisu on Broadway

July 25, 2016 Leave a Comment

The boyfriend and I were planning on grabbing dinner but ended up eating too many snacks at home while watching TV that we weren’t hungry for a full meal anymore. Oops =P

So, we decided to get some light snacks in Richmond, but we couldn’t find parking. We ended up going back to Vancouver to Ebisu on Broadway Street as the boyfriend has been wanting to try this Vancouver chain out. Yes, there is an Ebisu in Richmond but we wanted to be back in Vancouver.
I’ve been here a few times already with my family years ago (along with the location in downtown), but this was the first time the boyfriend has tried Ebisu.

This location is on the second floor of a plaza, just off Broadway on one of the quieter inside streets. Luckily, we arrived just after 10pm so meter parking was free already!

The outside doesn’t look that nice, but the inside is a lot better. The seating is comfortable and spacious, while the service was really warm and fast.

We didn’t know that they had happy hour from 8:30pm-close, so that was a nice surprise! Unfortunately, none of the happy hour items really stood out to us so we ended up only ordering one item from their happy hour menu.

Sashimi salad $9.50 small | $15.95 regular: I’ve been on a sashimi salad kick lately, so naturally, I had to order Ebisu’s sashimi salad! You can choose from either creamy, house ginger, or spicy dressing. I chose the house ginger.

The veggies were pretty fresh, and the house ginger sauce was really tasty! It tasted more like a garlicky, miso sauce but we both really liked it.

The amount of sashimi was a bit disappointing, I would have wished there was more. However, I think I am just spoiled by Uomo’s heaping portions of sashimi in their sashimi salad. Albiet a small portion, the sashimi tasted pretty fresh and came with octopus, tuna, wild salmon, and salmon sashimi.
Takoyaki, $5.95 happy hour | regular hours $6.50: The takoyaki was plump and flavourful. The boyfriend enjoyed the takoyaki here more than Manzo because they have less lemon juice sprinkled on top, making it less sour. I found the takoyaki pretty delicious and would order it again here.
Dynamite roll $3.95 happy hour | $5.50 regular: We decided to try out the dynamite roll because it was pretty cheap during happy hour! Unfortunately, the cheap price justified the cheap taste. The rice was bland and mushy.

While it looks appetizing here, it collapsed once we picked it up. The tempura was very soggy and did not taste fresh at all.

We wouldn’t order this again and I hope the regular dynamite roll tastes better than the happy hour version!
Truffle fries $4.95 | regular $5.95: Oops, I forgot to take a photo of the truffle fries but you can see it in this picture!

The truffle fries were AMAZING. They truffle oil really enhanced the flavour of the fresh, crispy, piping hot fries. It was dusted with some sort of herbs as well. I would come back to Ebisu just for these truffle fries!

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All in all, we had a lovely experience at Ebisu and I would definitely come back for snacks(esp. the truffle fries!). The prices are a bit higher than what I’m used to (Hello UOmo & Sushi Garden), but I don’t mind coming here once in awhile. It’s a nice change of scenery from the regular Japanese restaurants I visit.

I wish they opened later than 11 pm for happy hour, but it is located in a quiet area so I understand. The Ebisu in downtown is open until 1 am though!

I’ve only been to the Ebisu in downtown and Broadway. I would say they are both pretty similar in terms of quality and service. I actually went to the downtown Ebisu in the summer but never got around to writing a review.

Yay!

Thanks for reading!

Carmen

Flying Beaver Bar & Grill – Dine Out Vancouver Festival

January 24, 2016 Leave a Comment

Another Dine Out review! Luckily, the Dine Out menu here features the same dishes as the regular menu, so you can still read this review even if you’re not planning on doing Dine Out! I found this restaurant through social media, with many people saying that it was a really good deal.

After finding out that they have a waterfront view with seaplanes, we were sold! We love nice views and airplanes!
Prior to visiting this restaurant, we had never been in this area before and missed the turn from Vancouver to Sea Island. It is in a pretty quiet area, with nothing else here except for the smaller airport terminal for flights within the province.

The restaurant is also connected to a seaplane terminal, which was being advertised for leisurely private flights around Vancouver and Victoria. Maybe one day, I’ll afford to ride in one of those for fun!
This place is in such a random and quiet area that they offer a shuttle bus service! I thought that was pretty awesome. I’m not too sure on how often the shuttle service works and where they pick up customers from, though.

They offered a 3 course meal for Dine Out, and was $20 per person. Here is what we ordered:
Baja fish tacos: The boyfriend chose this as his starter. It was a pretty good taco, with a generous piece of fried cod inside. The veggies here were crunchy and fresh as well!
Steak bites: I wanted the clam chowder, but since it contains dairy, I chose to order the steak bites instead. I definitely did not regret my decision because this was delicious! The steak bites were cooked medium, and was slightly pink in the middle. It had a nice smoky and grilled taste, and was bursting with flavour. It was also really peppery, which I loved.

The dipping sauce was a chiptole aioli, which didn’t really complement or enhanced the savoury steak flavour. In fact, they didn’t mix well at all and was really random.
BBQ Pork Ribs w/ scalloped potatoes & cole slaw: The boyfriend loves his ribs, so this was an easy choice for him. The pork ribs were very tender and fell off the bone perfectly. There was a generous amount of BBQ sauce, giving the pork a lot of extra flavour too.

It came with scalloped potatoes, which the boyfriend was crazy about. He gave me a bite and I automatically regretted it (and simultaneously loved it) because I tasted a LOT of cream and cheese. It’s strange because now that I can’t have dairy, I am able to taste or smell the flavour of cream/cheese/milk more than before. It’s like my body is warning me even more now that I can’t eat it.

Anyways, that one small bite I had was really good and reminded me of what a sweet life I used to have – being able to have rich, dairy goodness without reacting badly and getting sick.
Seafood grill w/ veggies & jasmine rice: I love my seafood, so this was an easy decision for me! The skewer came with sockeye salmon, prawn, and Atlantic halibut. The skewer was pretty big and all the seafood was cooked well. The fish flaked perfectly off, while the prawns were nice and snappy.

It didn’t come with much seasoning (maybe just a bit of salt?) and had a nice grilled taste, just like the steak bites.

It also came with a ginger soy sauce, which I wasn’t a fan of. The ginger taste was too strong. It reminded me of a very strong honey ginger tea.

Adding the sesame string beans, I felt like I was eating a Chinese meal instead of Western =P The rice was slightly aromatic and came with some freshly ground pepper. There was a pretty generous amount of veggies and rice, as you can see!
Tiramisu w/ belgian chocolate: I wish I could have tried this, because the boyfriend kept saying how amazing this was with every bite that he had.

He said that it was very balanced, meaning that it wasn’t overly sweet but had just the right amount of chocolate and coffee.
Chocolate brownie w/ vanilla ice cream: I asked for the ice cream to be served on the side, so that I could enjoy the brownie without worrying about dairy contamination.

The brownie was served nice and warm. I didn’t find that there was much chocolate taste though – it was just VERY sweet.

I had four bites before it was too much. Sweet tooth people, this one is for you! I gave the ice cream and rest of the brownie to the boyfriend. Comparing the brownie to the tiramisu, he said the brownie was definitely a LOT sweeter.

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For $20 each, this was a really good deal and I’m glad that we drove all the way out to this restaurant. Although it was pretty busy, service was friendly and attentive. I wouldn’t come back just for the food because I could probably get similar food a lot closer to where I live, but rather, come here for the nice view instead. It’s a breath of fresh air to be away from all the hustle and bustle of the city! I would love to come back when the weather gets warmer and enjoy some drinks and snacks on the patio.

Thanks for reading!

-Carmen

The Flying Pig (Gastown)

May 25, 2015 Leave a Comment

Hi everyone,

So after an expensive lesson learned not to order the main dishes at The Flying Pig, I was back with Shell for famous happy hour but at their Gastown location in February (sorry for late post =p) .

If their service at the Olympic Village location wasn’t spectacular, I probably would have been less inclined to try this chain again!
Originally, we were told that there was a 30 minute wait, but luckily someone just left and we were seated in less than 10 minutes! We saw some empty tables, but were told that happy hour was only served at the bar area. Seating was a bit cramped, as I found with the Olympic Village location as well.

Shell and I decided to share some cheap happy hour appetizers. The first thing that arrived was the truffle mac and cheese. It looked very plain, with barely any traces of veggies or meat but hey, you’re only paying $5 so don’t expect much. With that said, I was so shocked at how amazingly delicious this mac and cheese was. I don’t know what they put it in but it was amazing!!!!

Smooth, creamy, cheesy, with just the right amount of herbs and bursting with flavour… I knew I had made a good decision giving The Flying Pig a second chance.

Next came our smoked salmon and arugula salad, $7. This had a strong and fresh lemon taste to it, and I enjoyed this dish as well. The only complaint I would have about it was that it was quite small. Shell and I split this in half and it was over in one bite =(

This pulled pork poutine does not look appetizing from the picture, but it was. I ordered this with the boyfriend at the Olympic Village location, which was one of the highlights of our meal. At this location, it was no different. There was a generous amount of pulled pork, which was tender and flavourful.

The poutine came slathered with a generous amount of gravy and cheese itself, yummmm. The fries itself were standard, but this dish was delicious nonetheless.
After finishing those delicious dishes, we decided to order one more appy which was the short rib croquette. We had been eyeing this from the customer sitting next to us, and he told us it was really good.

Oh man, was the short rib croquette delicious. The batter was super fresh and crunchy on the outside, but the short rib inside was soft and delicious. It reminded me of a takoyaki.. except deep fried. The short rib was mixed in along with what I’m guessing mashed sweet potato and herb filler? It was very soft and had a creamy mashed potato texture inside.
Oh right, Shell and I each ordered a glass of wine too! It was $4 a glass which is pretty cheap, but it is any type of red or white wine.

This happy hour trip to The Flying Pig restored my faith in them! They have delicious appetizers but you’ve been warned about their not-so-stellar main courses.

Have you been here for happy hour? How did you like it?

-Carmen

Steel Toad Brewpub & Dining Hall – Two Visits

March 24, 2015 Leave a Comment

Hi everyone,

Feels like awhile since I’ve been able to sit down and blog – it’s been a crazy and stressful past week. =( There is something therapeutic about writing and blogging for me. I can already feel myself getting calmer by writing… I guess because it takes my mind off other things. Anyways, let’s get to the post!

My coworker had been talking about a new pub that opened recently at Olympic Village.. I didn’t believe him because I pass by or go to that neighbourhood relatively often and I haven’t seen it before! So, after a disappointing and expensive dinner at The Flying Pig, we decided to walk around. Sure enough, there was Steel Toad! How did I miss seeing this place?!
I told Macaroni about this place and she wanted to check it out as well, so we decided to have a double date dinner here a couple of weeks after. Steel Toad underwent massive construction for five years, this place used to be a warehouse of some sort.

Walking in, the place was really big and spacious! Compared to Craft next door, it is a lot bigger and that’s saying something since Craft is already a large restaurant as well. There was a bouncer and hostess that greeted us at the door. Since we had made reservations for the busy weekend night, we were seated on the second floor alcove which gave us a nice view of the restaurant.

The atmosphere there was fantastic – live, buzzing with energy coupled with a nice smooth melody of a live band that was playing that night. If anything, I would recommend going just for the energy because as you’ll find out, the food was just meh to us.
I was pleasantly surprised that the beer here was pretty cheap for a fancy gastropub! Maybe because they brew everything in house? Definitely the lowest prices I’ve seen compared to Craft, Tap & Barrel, St. Augs, Biercraft, etc etc. I forgot what I ordered, but our server recommended this to us.
Macaroni ordered the margherita pizza. This was probably the best tasting dish we had that night. The dough was nice and chewy, although some parts were super burnt and charred black. It came with a generous amount of melted cheese and the tomato sauce had a nice herb-like flavour to it.
The second dish that arrived was the roast beef sandwich, which came with a side of fries. The roast beef sandwich was pretty disappointing, it came on a single slice of plain toast that you can buy at any grocery store. For the roast beef itself, it was pretty bland. We expected more from this dish than a single slice of toast topped with flavourless roast beef and sauce.

I’m glad we ordered the pretzel, or else we would have gone hungry! The pretzel was warm, fresh, and chewy. It was lightly sprinkled with salt and the dijon mustard complemented the flavours. I really enjoyed the pretzel and would probably order it again if we came back.
The most disappointing dish of all – the shepard’s pie. I’ve never had a bad shephard’s pie until that night. To start, the server over-exaggerated at how big the portion would be, she told us it was really big and that it was super delicious. When it arrived, we all stared at the size of it and were thinking “….this is it?” The boyfriend and I shared this, and I was glad I wasn’t that hungry or else it wouldn’t have filled us up at all.

It was severely bland and lacking any type of flavour. We had to sprinkle a lot of salt on top to make this mediocre. We weren’t sure why the server had recommended this dish to us, and how it passed for “super delicious” because it was quite the exact opposite.
The service? What service? Not so great. Although our server was friendly, she was really slow and we saw her socializing with other servers instead. We tried to ask her for salt and pepper since out shephard’s pie was so bland, but she never acknowledged or checked up on us. We ended up walking to the bar and asking the bartender if we could use it. We also asked the bartender if we could get our water refilled.

On a separate visit, the boyfriend and I came back for a beer, but with caution since our first visit wasn’t spectacular. Since we only wanted to grab a couple drinks, we decided to come back as I liked the drink prices and how you can get a smaller size (250ml). We came on a late afternoon just in time for happy hour!

We weren’t planning on eating, but the happy hour deal was so great that we couldn’t pass it up. A pint of house beer and choice of pizza for $11, which is about 50% off depending on which pizza you order. We ordered the Hawaiian pizza, which came with your standard ham, pineapples and also capicola. Just like our first visit, we enjoyed the pizza and it had a generous amount of capicola!
Since the happy hour came with a pint, the boyfriend ordered one of the house beers, the saison sauvignon. It was slightly salty and a tad hoppy, it reminded me of the more popular seedspitter watermelon wit from Parallel 49.

I really wanted the beer I had last time (which was the purpose of our visit), but unfortunately they were sold out =( I settled on the Lonetree cider instead, and ordered the smaller size as I didn’t feel like drinking so much alcohol that time of the day… but hey, it’s the long weekend okay! Don’t judge… It tasted like your typical cider, but I would have liked it more cold since I found it to be only a tiny bit above room temperature.

The service this time was phenomenal! We had a different server, who was super nice and friendly, and gave us many drink recommendations. He checked up on us many times and made our visit a delight. It’s amazing how much the service can change your perception of a place! I’m glad we gave this place a second try.

Steel Toad is still less than a year old, with room for improvement. Some of their dishes are executed nicely, while others could use work. The service is inconsistent as well, but I’m glad our second time was a lot better!

Read my reviews on Tap and Barrel and CRAFT as well, all three of which are located within blocks of each other!

Thanks for reading!
-Carmen

The Flying Pig (Olympic Village)

March 9, 2015 2 Comments

Happy to announce that this will be a guest post by le boyfriend. We tried The Flying Pig for the first time but we left disappointed, read on to find out why. Thanks for reading! – Carmen

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Hi everybody! Welcome to another guest post. Carmen really wanted another post from me, but I was hesitant at first. I originally intended to write my post on Fable Kitchen as part of the Dine at Fable event, but that went nowhere as evidence by the lack of a post. So here is a review for The Flying Pig, at their newest location in Olympic Village. Carmen had really wanted to try The Flying Pig for a long time, and one night we decided to visit the aforementioned location.
This location does not have big signs or bright lights on the outside of the building, and it was quite difficult to locate in the dark. Once inside, we were greeted and seated promptly. The restaurant was about 75% full when we arrived, but I found that the table we were seated at was pretty cramped. Our server was very friendly, and rang off the specials of the day for us.
For an appetizer, we ordered the Bone Marrow Cheezy Bread. Carmen heard from a friend that the bread was a “must try” item, and it did not disappoint. It was warm, fluffy, and loaded with cheese.
For her entrée, Carmen ordered the Veal Piccata. It consisted of a parmesan risotto in a lemon caper butter sauce, served with veal slices. The risotto was creamy and cooked perfectly, but that’s about as good as it gets.

The veal, while tender, was underwhelming and bland. The lemon capers gave it an overly lemony taste, which required a lot of salt and pepper to mask. It also had a slimy texture that was very off-putting.

Overall, Carmen did not enjoy it very much, and I switched dishes with her only because I could tolerate it a bit more. We both agreed, it’s not worth recommending.
Next up is the entrée I selected: The Flying Pig Signature Pork Rack. It really sounded good on paper but was sadly another uninspiring dish. The pork rack consisted of one piece of pork chop attached to the bone, served with a side of pulled pork poutine, with an apple cider reduction sauce and seasonal vegetables.

The pork was cooked very well, being very tender and juicy, but just like the veal, it was bland and poorly seasoned. Carmen tried a piece and was not impressed either. Sadly for this dish, the best part was the side of pulled pork poutine, which you can add as a side to other dishes as well. There was a generous amount of pulled pork layered on top, and the pulled pork was absolutely delicious.

Considering how poorly seasoned the rest of the meats we had that night were, this was an absolute delight. There is also a generous topping of cheese curds and gravy.

Our first experience at The Flying Pig was, overall, not a very positive one. Most of our food ended up being very disappointing, and for what we paid, we felt like it was definitely not worth the price. We also agreed that it would be worth revisiting another time.

Carmen did in fact go back to The Flying Pig (albeit their Gastown location) and had a much better experience during their happy hour. You can expect that review to be up pretty soon after this one. Until next time, thanks for reading!